Month: September 2017

The next time you are out with friends and your son or daughter are with you, express how proud you are of something that your child recently accomplished or did. Brag just a bit so your son or daughter hears you telling someone else. Your child needs to hear you telling others of his/her character or achievement. Going public like this affirms just how proud you are of your child. At least once a week make it a goal to speak praise about your child. Your child need to know you are proud of him/her.

Andy told me last night that he will be playing in the Grand Ant marching band again this year. He still plays the tuba. Talk about strange! It looks so heavy on him. The tuba is bigger than Andy. He says carrying the tuba in the marching band is good exercise for him. There are over 20 ants playing together in their band. They do their practice marching on the other side of the fence so they don’t get trampled by the kids playing on the school playground. I think I am the only kid that knows about the ant band. Don’t tell anyone! Have you got my book called The Band Music Mystery? This book tells you more about Andy’s band and the day I almost lost Andy forever while practicing my trumpet.

Caring parents take responsibility for the results of their child’s behavior. For many parents this is a challenge. Life is busy and often kids end up with the left-overs. It is often easier to offer an excuse or blame someone else or something else for a child’s behavior. Effective parents realize that failure or success is due to their capability to lead correctly and take responsibility as a parent.

This week I am trying out for the school jazz band. I sure hope I’m accepted this year. I practiced my trumpet over the summer and am better now than last spring. I think I’m pretty good. The jazz band gets to play at different places around town—like the Harvest Festival, the Children’s Hospital, Kiwanis and Rotary. Hopefully we will get to go state competition next Spring. This means we’ll take a bus and stay overnight in a hotel.

Verbally expressing a compliment is important but writing a compliment down and giving it to a child is much more powerful. Here is a suggestion. Each week write a short one or two sentence note of praise to your child on a full-size sheet of paper. Write at his or her level so it is meaningful to them. Praise your child for something he or she did or a characteristic that is noteworthy. Create some art on the page! If you do one written compliment a week you child will have 52 positive affirmations in writing in just a year. This is the beginning of your legacy to your child.